We had our follow up visit yesterday with both our family dr and the kidney specialist. The family dr went well, he did another blood panel and told us to just keep doing what we are doing and come back in 6 weeks,, (WHEW we have time to save some money for gas now!)
The Kidney specialist went well also, considering. He is still worried about the swelling, which has gone down drastically, and needs to continue to go down. Dr Leon, (the kidney dr) finally gave us a name for what we are going through. Renal Cardiovascular Disease, which leads to kidney failure, which we are full steam ahead on that one, and heart failure. By getting rid of the excess fluid we are treating the heart but killing the kidneys, so a transplant is inevitable in no later than 3 years, to get on the list that is and start dialysis.
Dr L had us see his nutritionist because Todd is VERY anemic, which also explains his desire/need to sleep almost all the live long day, and his protein is dangerously low. So we,, YES WE, are on a strict diet. I prefer to call it a lifestyle change. NO more than 1500 mg of sodium a day. I challenge you to look at your food labels and read exactly how much sodium is in the food you are eating,, it's kinda gross. Just in my yoplait light that I had for breakfast there is 80 mg. Todd can only have certain veggies, tons of red meat,, yay for him, his favorite food, and chicken. We are doing this together because, well, there is strength in numbers. We aren't allowed dairy, cheese, corn, and a bunch of other stuff that is common every day foods, I really have to look over all the info the nutritionist gave us yesterday. (yes I know I ate a yogurt for breakfast, Im not throwing them out!)
While we are in with the nutritionist, Dr L had a nurse come take a small sample of blood to run for iron and protein levels and came back asking what insurance we had, (YAY MACY"S) Unfortunately, our insurance does not cover a shot he needs, when I asked how much the shot was I dang near fell off my chair,, (no Jen, I don't remember what it was! a hormone of some sort to get his protein levels up I believe) $800 for ONE SHOT! So we are upping the anti on his protein, he is taking liquid protein and filling up on egg whites and meat.
On that note, Dr L left us saying come back in 2 months, and try to up our insurance (it's already taking half my paycheck every week :-/)
All I can say is anyone out there reading this who has diabetes and thinks, 'pft, I'm fine, nothing will happen, oh please it's all just a scare tactic' PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE look after yourself,, keep your blood sugars under control, watch your diet. It can and it WILL happen to you, and this is NOT something I would wish on my worst enemy!! (if I had one)
So I am off to work leaving Todd alone for the first time in two week, and there is a huge pit in my stomach.
Keep us in your prayers please. <3
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
and we're home!
Our first night home! Felt like heaven to sleep in our own bed, next to each other.
I'm trying my best to keep him on the same routine that we were on in the hospital, meaning sleeping and eating schedule,otherwise he would sleep all day because of his lack of energy.
So I did the good wife thing and got him up by 8, made him breakfast, had him weigh himself and take his blood sugars, (the bs he is super good about doing on his own) The jerk has lost 20 pounds in like 5 days!! ok ok I use the term Jerk loosely. I truly dont think he's a jerk! *wink*
Our follow up appts with both the regular dr and the kidney specialist is scheduled for monday jan 28th, I will keep you all posted!
Kiss your family, let them know they are your world!
I'm trying my best to keep him on the same routine that we were on in the hospital, meaning sleeping and eating schedule,otherwise he would sleep all day because of his lack of energy.
So I did the good wife thing and got him up by 8, made him breakfast, had him weigh himself and take his blood sugars, (the bs he is super good about doing on his own) The jerk has lost 20 pounds in like 5 days!! ok ok I use the term Jerk loosely. I truly dont think he's a jerk! *wink*
Our follow up appts with both the regular dr and the kidney specialist is scheduled for monday jan 28th, I will keep you all posted!
Kiss your family, let them know they are your world!
Monday, January 21, 2013
Our investment.
My brother is buying a house. Great investment. Here's our little investment!!!
We made it home safe and sound. Now to get into a routine!!
We made it home safe and sound. Now to get into a routine!!
Day 5
Both our regular family dr and the kidney dr have been in to say good bye and LISTEN TO YOUR WIFE! Ok they didnt use those words but we all know I'm a control freak and will do everything they tell us to.
They just took his blood pressure for a last time 111/65!!!! YAY!!!!
We have a pharmacy we are taking home with us and I will have to read up on all these meds so I know what's what. Todd is showered, dressed and we are waiting for the nutritionist then we are homeward bound!!
A huge thank you to all the drs, hospital staff, and all of you for your thoughts and prayers. We will continue to keep you updated on how things are going. We aren't out of the woods. Dr mercado told us its not if he needs a transplant it's when. So that's the direction we are heading, once we get the fluid off his heart.
Please feel free to come by and see us once we get home tonight. I'm hoping to go back to work Wednesday once Todd is settled in.
They just took his blood pressure for a last time 111/65!!!! YAY!!!!
We have a pharmacy we are taking home with us and I will have to read up on all these meds so I know what's what. Todd is showered, dressed and we are waiting for the nutritionist then we are homeward bound!!
A huge thank you to all the drs, hospital staff, and all of you for your thoughts and prayers. We will continue to keep you updated on how things are going. We aren't out of the woods. Dr mercado told us its not if he needs a transplant it's when. So that's the direction we are heading, once we get the fluid off his heart.
Please feel free to come by and see us once we get home tonight. I'm hoping to go back to work Wednesday once Todd is settled in.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Drs updates.
Kenzie and I slipped down to the cafeteria for lunch after waiting all morning for the drs to come in,,, yep they come in while we are gone. So here is the update according to Todd.
They are discharging him tomorrow!!!! GLORY DAY!!!!!
Because I wasn't here I don't know all the details. I'm hoping the drs come back tonight. If not I'll have my list of questions for them before we leave tomorrow.
I will post more details as they come. I'm just thrilled that he gets to come home tomorrow. Thank you to everyone for all the prayers and fasting.
This pic is from last night. These two girls sure love their daddy. And have been such a help for me. I appreciate everything they have done for us. Our little angels.
They are discharging him tomorrow!!!! GLORY DAY!!!!!
Because I wasn't here I don't know all the details. I'm hoping the drs come back tonight. If not I'll have my list of questions for them before we leave tomorrow.
I will post more details as they come. I'm just thrilled that he gets to come home tomorrow. Thank you to everyone for all the prayers and fasting.
This pic is from last night. These two girls sure love their daddy. And have been such a help for me. I appreciate everything they have done for us. Our little angels.
The morning after
Woke up this morning to Todd standing over me stroking my cheek. He is feeling so much better than last night.
They have taken out the iv so we are done with lasix drip and now the drainage of excess fluid will just continue on. I can see that swelling in his legs and feet has dropped drastically. So that's good news
His blood sugars were a little low this morning , 55. So he had a good breakfast of an egg omelette with cheese, yogurt, grapes, peaches, and toast. Oh and orange juice. You would of thought it was candy the way he sipped at it with a big grin on his face. Lol
He got in the shower this morning so he's all clean for visitors!! And now we are just sitting here watching Mary poppins until he takes the remote from me.
Have a fantastic Sunday everyone !
They have taken out the iv so we are done with lasix drip and now the drainage of excess fluid will just continue on. I can see that swelling in his legs and feet has dropped drastically. So that's good news
His blood sugars were a little low this morning , 55. So he had a good breakfast of an egg omelette with cheese, yogurt, grapes, peaches, and toast. Oh and orange juice. You would of thought it was candy the way he sipped at it with a big grin on his face. Lol
He got in the shower this morning so he's all clean for visitors!! And now we are just sitting here watching Mary poppins until he takes the remote from me.
Have a fantastic Sunday everyone !
Saturday, January 19, 2013
He just can't be trusted!
So when I left the hospital yesterday, the last thing Todd said to me was,,,, "I'll be fine I promise!" LIAR LIAR PANTS ON FIRE!!!!!
A couple hours ago I got a call from our daughter Ashalee saying that 'dads tongue feels really weird and he can't talk properly, they're taking him for a ct scan I'll let you know as soon as I do'. I immediately think he's had a stroke and start panicking, called my bestie, who is in slc with her brother that had a brain tumor removed on Thursday, to tell me what the symptoms of a stroke were. She works in the medical field and is used to my questions, thank heavens.
Bottom line, it wasn't a stroke, it was an allergic reaction to his anti nausea meds. I am back in st George because, well he lied. I'm camped here until he goes home.
A big huge thank you to ash who was in the right place at the right time!! And to our family in Henderson who seem to be jumping at the chance to help us. We love you so very much!
A couple hours ago I got a call from our daughter Ashalee saying that 'dads tongue feels really weird and he can't talk properly, they're taking him for a ct scan I'll let you know as soon as I do'. I immediately think he's had a stroke and start panicking, called my bestie, who is in slc with her brother that had a brain tumor removed on Thursday, to tell me what the symptoms of a stroke were. She works in the medical field and is used to my questions, thank heavens.
Bottom line, it wasn't a stroke, it was an allergic reaction to his anti nausea meds. I am back in st George because, well he lied. I'm camped here until he goes home.
A big huge thank you to ash who was in the right place at the right time!! And to our family in Henderson who seem to be jumping at the chance to help us. We love you so very much!
Just got off the phone with my mahn!! (ya gotta say it a little southern) The dr came in this morning, we are still waiting on the ECG results. Todd is really tired so while I'm down here I'm trying not to call and get updates every 5 minutes, and let him rest. I'll let y'all know if anything new comes today.
Jake had his eagle project this morning and had about 20 people show up to help us clean and grade level books. It went fantastically well, thanks to all those who came and helped out!!!
Jake had his eagle project this morning and had about 20 people show up to help us clean and grade level books. It went fantastically well, thanks to all those who came and helped out!!!
Friday, January 18, 2013
Starting out with a bang!
This is how the Johnson's do it!
For those of you who don't know Todd has diabetes, has had it for about 18-20 years,, hasn't always looked after himself properly because let's face it, who wants to prick themselves 3-4+ times a day with a needle?
He went to see a dr here in Nevada for a torn tendon or something about 18 months ago, and was prescribed prednazone, a steroid, to help with the swelling and achiness in his leg. Wal-mart pharmacy, being the high class pharmacy they are, made a huge mistake on his prescription bottle, instead of writing on the bottle, 20 mg, two times a day, they wrote, 40 mg two times a day. It was about 4 days before we caught this mistake, so yes he was doubling the amount of prednizone he was taking.
Long story short, this prednizone sped up his diabetes about 15 years. (it really didn't help that he didn't take care of himself the way he should of, but 15 YEARS?, I'm now married to a 65 yr old man! GREAT TIMES!!)
He went in for a check up with his dr in st george just after this and he confirmed that the prednazone sped up the diabetes and we needed to get his blood sugars under control and the swelling down in his legs. He went for another check up about 6-7 months ago, and was told that he had developed an enlarged heart, and the swelling in his legs had gotten worse. He became very diligent in testing his blood sugars 3-4 times a day, taking his insulin 4 times a day and cut out all sugars and most carbs. (We all like carbs!so this was a hard one!) I was so proud of him, his blood sugars were under control and regular finally, but the swelling in his legs hadn't gone down and they hurt so much, he struggled to get in and out of the car and by the end of the night his legs were painfully large. At this time the dr did a blood panel and the results showed that his kidneys were at a 1.5, which is the danger line for diabetics. So we became more diligent in his diet and his insulin. The dr was happy with his blood sugars so we knew we were doing something right.
A week and a half ago he went back to get checked out for a cough that was floating around our house, and they did another blood panel, this time his kidneys were at 1.7,, starting to get worried at this point, the dr asked him to come back again, that brings us to Thursday, Jan 17, 2013,,,,,
After another blood panel, his kidneys were at a 2.2,, time to go to the hospital,, NOW. Which puts us at my (rhonda's) recent facebook status'. They have done a ECG, EKG, Sonogram of his kidneys, xray of his heart. The dr, sent in a cardio vascular specialist because his heart has enlarged even more.
We are still waiting for the results of the ECG which we should get tomorrow, Saturday morning if the dr is on time.
Here is where we stand....
Kidneys are failing rapidly,
Todd is in Heart failure.
The Kidney specialist says he can fix the heart but it will kill the kidneys, *tears and scary thoughts here*
If he looks after himself with diet, exercise, weight monitoring, and maintaining his blood sugars and blood pressure he will be able to get a kidney and a pancreas transplant! (a broken pancreas is what causes diabetes, so this would fix that!)
For now, he is in the hospital to get the excess fluid out of his body that his kidneys are failing to help dispose of. The dr's have him on a very limited fluid intake, no\low carbs, diet. They are, in the dr's words, trying to put a bandaid on the kidneys so they can then get that bandaid to stick and fix the heart, then remove the bandaid and replace the kidneys within two years, if they last that long.
Our goal, get him home, active, and as healthy as we can so he will be able to get the transplants. We are waiting to see if the heart can be fixed and how/what we need to do that.
I will keep you updated as often as I can. Sadly I had to come home tonight to be here for our boys for a few days, I will be on the phone with Todd when the dr comes in with the results of the ECG and will update shortly after that. I am heading back to St George on Sunday to be with Todd until he can come home, which we are hoping, and the dr's say at the earliest, will be Tuesday.
Please keep him in your prayers. Thank you all so much for all your love and support. You have no idea how much it means to both of us to have so many wonderful friends and family members surrounding us at this time.
WELCOME 2013!!!!!!
For those of you who don't know Todd has diabetes, has had it for about 18-20 years,, hasn't always looked after himself properly because let's face it, who wants to prick themselves 3-4+ times a day with a needle?
He went to see a dr here in Nevada for a torn tendon or something about 18 months ago, and was prescribed prednazone, a steroid, to help with the swelling and achiness in his leg. Wal-mart pharmacy, being the high class pharmacy they are, made a huge mistake on his prescription bottle, instead of writing on the bottle, 20 mg, two times a day, they wrote, 40 mg two times a day. It was about 4 days before we caught this mistake, so yes he was doubling the amount of prednizone he was taking.
Long story short, this prednizone sped up his diabetes about 15 years. (it really didn't help that he didn't take care of himself the way he should of, but 15 YEARS?, I'm now married to a 65 yr old man! GREAT TIMES!!)
He went in for a check up with his dr in st george just after this and he confirmed that the prednazone sped up the diabetes and we needed to get his blood sugars under control and the swelling down in his legs. He went for another check up about 6-7 months ago, and was told that he had developed an enlarged heart, and the swelling in his legs had gotten worse. He became very diligent in testing his blood sugars 3-4 times a day, taking his insulin 4 times a day and cut out all sugars and most carbs. (We all like carbs!so this was a hard one!) I was so proud of him, his blood sugars were under control and regular finally, but the swelling in his legs hadn't gone down and they hurt so much, he struggled to get in and out of the car and by the end of the night his legs were painfully large. At this time the dr did a blood panel and the results showed that his kidneys were at a 1.5, which is the danger line for diabetics. So we became more diligent in his diet and his insulin. The dr was happy with his blood sugars so we knew we were doing something right.
A week and a half ago he went back to get checked out for a cough that was floating around our house, and they did another blood panel, this time his kidneys were at 1.7,, starting to get worried at this point, the dr asked him to come back again, that brings us to Thursday, Jan 17, 2013,,,,,
After another blood panel, his kidneys were at a 2.2,, time to go to the hospital,, NOW. Which puts us at my (rhonda's) recent facebook status'. They have done a ECG, EKG, Sonogram of his kidneys, xray of his heart. The dr, sent in a cardio vascular specialist because his heart has enlarged even more.
We are still waiting for the results of the ECG which we should get tomorrow, Saturday morning if the dr is on time.
Here is where we stand....
Kidneys are failing rapidly,
Todd is in Heart failure.
The Kidney specialist says he can fix the heart but it will kill the kidneys, *tears and scary thoughts here*
If he looks after himself with diet, exercise, weight monitoring, and maintaining his blood sugars and blood pressure he will be able to get a kidney and a pancreas transplant! (a broken pancreas is what causes diabetes, so this would fix that!)
For now, he is in the hospital to get the excess fluid out of his body that his kidneys are failing to help dispose of. The dr's have him on a very limited fluid intake, no\low carbs, diet. They are, in the dr's words, trying to put a bandaid on the kidneys so they can then get that bandaid to stick and fix the heart, then remove the bandaid and replace the kidneys within two years, if they last that long.
Our goal, get him home, active, and as healthy as we can so he will be able to get the transplants. We are waiting to see if the heart can be fixed and how/what we need to do that.
I will keep you updated as often as I can. Sadly I had to come home tonight to be here for our boys for a few days, I will be on the phone with Todd when the dr comes in with the results of the ECG and will update shortly after that. I am heading back to St George on Sunday to be with Todd until he can come home, which we are hoping, and the dr's say at the earliest, will be Tuesday.
Please keep him in your prayers. Thank you all so much for all your love and support. You have no idea how much it means to both of us to have so many wonderful friends and family members surrounding us at this time.
WELCOME 2013!!!!!!
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